When Paintings Talk to You
Hello Again –
Today it is about pausing
long enough to listen.
Then conversations happen,
human and non-human
A Grand Passion
When Paintings Talk to You
A Moment at Dawn
I once stood quietly watching a rescued wild mustang at dawn. His mane caught the first light, and the rhythm of his breathing and movement pressed softly into the space between us. I fell in love in that instant.
But most of us will never meet a wild or rescued animal up close. And that’s where my paintings began to speak.
Kindness That Transforms
Kindness to animals is transformative—not the abstract kind you read about, or admire from a distance, but the lived, felt kind. It unfolds naturally when we simply pay attention, without expectation. It can bring a softening, a quiet awareness of care and connection. It’s the lived experience of opening to another being—something that stirs our hearts in ways words can’t capture.
But what if you couldn’t be there in person? Could art carry that experience?
Paintings as Conversations
Each painting I create starts with the experience of deep connection with a real animal. I’ve spent time with donkeys, wild and rescued horse, foxes, and rescued moon bears and many more—simply being in the still space between us, not thinking, with no agenda. Often there is just a stillness but other times there is a download or insight that that I cant explain. But I can express in paint.
When someone sits with the painting—pausing long enough to drop out of their head and into their senses, into the quiet of simply being—a unique conversation can unfold. Not in words, but in whatever way comes through for them. At its best, the painting becomes a conduit, a mirror, a bridge.
This isn’t about technique or art history, though those things can be lovely. It isn’t therapy, or even just self-expression. And it isn’t only my voice. The animal, the moment, the encounter—everything I felt, everything that touched me—is in the work. When you meet the painting, it meets you exactly where you are.
Feeling the Connection
Sometimes it’s subtle: a soft warmth in the chest, a thought that arrives unexpectedly, a quiet clarity. Sometimes it’s profound: a flood of empathy, a sense of connection that carries far beyond the canvas.
Even if you’ve never met these animals in person, it’s possible to experience something deeply meaningful, no matter how small. Falling in love with one being can ripple outward—fostering compassion for a species, and maybe even for the wider world.
~ In the end we will protect only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.~ — Baba Dioum
Pause and Listen
Next time you encounter a painting—mine, or any art that draws you—pause, be still, listen. Let it speak. Don’t judge it. Let yourself feel whatever arises, in your own way, in your own time.
You don’t just look at paintings. See if there is a conversation waiting to happen. Maybe yes, maybe no. Allow curiosity to guide you.
In the words of David Attenborough –
~No One will protect what they don’t care about,
And no one will care about what they have never experienced.~
Lovely to see you here again.
Stay creative in your world.… blaze
Art,Kindness,Connection
Painting isn’t about control or perfection —
it’s about trust and surrender.
It’s when I stop trying to ‘get it right’
then something true begins to appear.
Here, I share that unfolding journey —
messy, honest, without judgment or expectation,
and always surprising.
Personally Speaking ~ Art. Kindness. Connection.
In my last post, I shared a little about starting this blog.
Today, I want to go a bit deeper—about how I arrived here, and why animals and art continue to guide me.
Moments That Open Us
This all began with a simple idea: that animals have this unique power to open something in us. Something real, and deeply human.
Over time, I’ve realised that even a tiny, quiet moment with an animal can shift my internal tectonic plates. It’s a gentle surrender—a letting go of what I think I know so I can see the world a little differently.
Painting from Presence
My paintings and my words both grow out of those moments. I’m not trying to capture a perfect, photographic likeness; I’m trying to feel into the essence of the creature.
I’ve learned that I can’t force it. Most days, it happens quietly, almost by accident. Something passes between me and the canvas, and suddenly, the spark is there. But let’s be real—I still get in my own way. I try to make it “right” or “perfect.” I’m sure you know that feeling! It’s taken me years to learn how to pause and just let go.
For a long time, I’d battle on with the canvas, which is just ridiculous when you think about it. Now, I try to start in stillness. I try to actually listen.
Sanctuary visits changed everything
When I spend time with animals in a sanctuary, something shifts in my gut. I don’t always have the words for it, but I feel it deeply.
This isn’t about creating “decoration” or trying to impress anyone. It’s about checking my ego at the door and allowing for the mess, the journey, and the trust. Each canvas teaches me something new, as long as I let it unfold.
An Invitation
Sometimes, it feels like the animals I paint are coming through the canvas to speak to me. I know that sounds a bit “off-centre,” but each story is a real experience that has stayed with me. There is so much we don’t understand about energy and connection, but being open to it feels like a good start.
The bottom line is this: you don’t need to “understand” my art in any academic way. Just spend time with it. Notice what it brings up in you.
There is no right or wrong interpretation—just an invitation to feel. If my paintings stir something in you, that honestly amazes and humbles me.
What Matters Most
For now, this is my way of sharing what matters to me:
Kindness. Connection. The choices we make and the unpredictable flow of our human lives.
Thank you for being here—it’s a gift to connect with you.
Stay warm. [ it’s winter here] and keep creative …….blaze
My First White Wall
Hello Again –
This is the story of how
I first stepped into the world of painting—
starting with a big, white wall and
a whole lot of fear and excitement.
“Some of the wall murals from my past. I learned to paint on the job!”
How I Entered the World of Painting – My first white wall
Now I am taking a risk. This is a piece I wrote for my creativity mentor in California. It is from the heart and a bit like prose, I guess, so please indulge me here.
Sitting in the middle of the floor, laying out my brushes in an orderly line on my dust-rug, paints in lines of color, all looking very professional and easy to see. A sense of order descended into the room, as I breathed a sigh of relief, so nice to be back. Now I felt in control only to look up at the seemingly huge white gleaming wall in front of me – the fear and anticipation gurgling in my stomach, the excitement of entering the unknown. The only way to ‘Be’ within this fear was to slowly approach it, gesture by gesture, masking the wall, mixing the colors hoping ‘wall’ did not notice my quaking flesh. Then finally I looked my fear in the eye and jumped in – a mark, a color, and a place to begin. Without thinking I slowly made lines, boundaries around the wall, ‘cutting in’ to contain the impact of the energy building up inside me-and then’ splash’! There it is, the vomit of my fear breaking into reality – a paint spot on the wall greedy for my attention. As I worked rhythmically to the beat of the music from my walk-man, allowing my hand to flow beyond the control of my mind, a surge of joy rocketed through my bones, a sense of power, unbounded energy, a feverish movement unable to stop engulfed by the curiosity of creating….
“Above is an octagonal dining room painting with the life story of a wonderful author and bohemian spirit.”
So profound were these experiences that I grew to love the frightening expanse of ‘white unknown’ that became the palette for me to express what was there for me, absolutely in that moment. I never knew what would emerge and found that the result did not sit sleepily on the wall but rather engaged the audience with their own energy and individuality. Within this happening there existed a space of intensity and peace that I could not describe.
I never expected it, but that first wall became a doorway. A place I returned to again and again—not to escape life, but to meet it fully.
PS. I didn’t have a camera in those days so not a lot of images!!!!
My next blog will share what happened when I left the wall behind… and picked up a canvas.
For now thank you for being here. Look forward to next time.
Stay creative ….blaze